Djuric meets Li Ming: Arrest of Popovic is an attempt to suppress the culture of remembrance and rewrite history

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric informed the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China, Li Ming, today about the latest developments following the arrest of Igor Popovic, Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija. He emphasized that this act is the latest in a series of provocations by the institutions in Pristina aimed at further destabilization and obstructing the dialogue process.

The Minister expressed gratitude for China’s principled support for Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, reiterating that the Republic of Serbia also firmly supports the One China principle and China’s sovereignty over its entire territory, according to the official statement.

The Serbian foreign minister stated that Popovic was arrested during a memorial gathering in Orahovac for allegedly inciting hatred in his speech, in which he stated that members of the KLA killed 47 Serbs and Roma in 1998. He added that such actions — apart from being blatant violations of rights and civilizational norms — are intended to reshape historical events according to the narrative of the Pristina authorities, rather than based on facts, and to suppress the culture of remembrance.

“The terrorist nature and numerous crimes of the KLA,” Minister Djuric reminded, “are well documented on the international political stage, including in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1160, and proceedings are currently underway before the Specialist Chambers in The Hague against four former political leaders of Kosovo Albanians for crimes committed in 1998 and 1999. He emphasized that the KLA had also been listed in the U.S. government’s registry of terrorist organizations,” the statement said.

Djuric stressed that dialogue with representatives of Pristina is not possible under the current circumstances and that Serbia is counting on the support of all relevant international stakeholders to ensure Popovic’s prompt release. He underscored the importance of UNMIK remaining present in

Kosovo and strengthening its activities.

“Serbia is fighting for Popovic’s release through political, diplomatic, and legal means and will continue to invest efforts to strengthen peace, stability, and economic cooperation in the Balkans,” Minister Djuric concluded.